People Magazine Excluded Black Models From The "Plus-Size Revolution"

Where Are The Black Girls? People Magazine Excludes Black Women In Plus-Size Issue

Plus sized model Tess Holliday is making history  by gracing the cover of People magazine. Tess is an anti-bullying activists, who proudly models her 5’5, 280 pound, size 22 figure. It’s a great thing for women of all sizes to see a BBW (Big, Beautiful Woman) shine. The issue showcases 4 other plus size models, and none of them are black. It’s ironic because there are so many successful black plus size models and black women are known for their curves.

CNN writer, Lisa Respers France had this to say about the exclusion:

I was disappointed when I looked at the models featured inside the magazine as members of “The Plus-Size Revolution.” At first glance there appeared to be no women of color among the four women featured. (Further research revealed that model Denise Bidot is Puerto Rican and Kuwaiti.)

My first images of plus-size models were African-American women.

Growing up, Lane Bryant was where I and many of my girlfriends shopped — even those who weren’t considered obese — simply because the clothes were made for curvier women. Black publications I read such as Essence featured beautiful, plus-size black women selling everything from hair products to Fashion Fair cosmetics.

She makes another great point here:

The struggle for inclusion among African-American models of any size has been a long one, predating even the appearance of Beverly Johnson as the first black model on the cover of American Vogue in 1974. Supermodel Tyra Banks has spoken about the “unwritten rule” that only one black model was allowed to reign in the industry at a time.

But until the fashion world readily remembers that one of the “b’s” in BBW can also stand for “black” the battle for true diversity in the industry still remains.

When is representation not going to be an issue?

 Instagram/People Magazine